When we first received word of pickleball’s arrival in Concord, dozens of suppositions as to what exactly it could be flooded forward. A sport designed specifically to highlight the Food Snob’s unique brand of athleticism? An odd, globe-shaped sandwich topping? The inevitable evolution of the scientifically-engineered spherical cucumber?
Turns out it’s a blend of elements from table tennis, badminton, racquetball and the periodic table, or at least three of the four. It also happens to be the activity sweeping the nation – and the senior population in Concord.
The game – which is played on a court identical in size to a badminton court, with a grounded net, rectangular paddles and a ball reminiscent of a whiffle ball – first arrived on the scene this summer, and has been popular enough that seniors continue to play once a week on a makeshift court inside the new recreation center where the Dame School used to be.
The group has taped out a court on the old cafeteria floor, and continues to battle it out while dodging walls, old kitchen equipment and the stairs at the end of the stage.
“It’s fast, it’s fun; I played tennis for a long time, but I’ll probably give up tennis (at times) in favor of this,” participant Dave Stevenson said. “It’s just as good a workout. Anyone who’s played a racquet sport can pick this up really quick.”
It does indeed blend the best parts of tennis – and none of the worst, like the haughty shushing of the crowd – into a game that doesn’t require as much running or sharp cutting. It began humbly this summer when Fred LaFontaine – who at almost 86 remains an avid player – helped introduce it to the capital city.
The first “tryout” was held July 22 at Keach Park, where the group played for several weeks until attendance became so high they moved to Merrill Park in order to play on three courts at a time. LaFontaine said he has a roster of about 30 seniors who have participated since the sport arrived in Concord, with an average of 18 or 20 showing up on any given week during the summer months.
“We haven’t had one person not like it,” LaFontaine said. “We’ve had some tennis players come in, and they’ve said, ‘Woah, this is fun.’”
With temperatures dropping, the group has moved indoors, though there is only one court available at a time, which creates a situation in which anxious players must sit for extended periods of time.
That hasn’t been a pleasant change for the likes of Cathy Desmarais, who admitted she’s “not a good sitter,” and the group is on the lookout for places with more space to play in Concord, having put in inquiries with the YMCA and the Racquet Club of Concord.
“I heard about it five years ago when some people were talking it up, and I thought it sounded like a lot of games I like, and it’s fast. There’s no down time,” Desmarais said. “It’s competitive, but everyone has a good time. There’s wonderful camaraderie.”
And the hope for celebrity guests.
“We understand that (former) governor (John) Lynch has a court in his backyard,” LaFontaine said. “We keep wondering if he’ll come here.”
Of course, since no pickles are involved, one of the sport’s great mysteries has been its name. There are those who have subscribed to the tale that it was named after inventor Congresseman Joel Pritchard’s dog, Pickles, though Pritchard’s wife, Joan, set the record straight in an article for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel in 2008.
There, Pritchard noted that Pickles was named after the game, not the other way around, and the game obtained its name because Joan compared it to the Pickle Boat in crew, where oarsmen are chosen from other boat’s leftovers.
The story of it being named after the dog had more legs (four, most likely), so the Pritchards have been hesitant to douse it entirely.
History lessons aside (that’s generally where we put them in school, too), is the sport any fun to play? You betcha. The group holding court Wednesday afternoon insisted I give it a try, so I teamed up with LaFontaine and played a “game” – we use the term loosely because the veterans gave me plenty of leeway as I learned the rules.
Those rules include the following: You must serve underhand, your serve must bounce once before the opposition can return it, and the opposition’s return must bounce once before you can return it. After that, anything is in play.
I struggled to get a handle on serving – several of my attempts banged off the ceiling – and kept forgetting to let the return of service bounce before I hit it. And I’m pretty sure everyone was taking it easy on me.
Still, I played for only 15 minutes or so but had a fantastic time. If I didn’t have another interview scheduled immediately thereafter, I would have tried to talk the rest of the group into a best-of-three or something.
The sport is growing around the country and the state – LaFontaine noted existing groups playing in New London, Claremont, Manchester and fledgling one in Nashua – and will continue to grow in Concord as long as there is adequate space. it seems.
Those who are playing have no intention of stopping – many of them make the trek to Manchester for additional games already – regardless of the comments they are greeted with after announcing the name of the game.
“People at work laugh at me; they say, ‘So, pickleball, huh?’” Phil Yeaton said.
Pickleball indeed. Not named after a dog, not an outlet for the Food Snob, but definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon.
